Saying Goodbye…

I started Pavé on a whim about three years ago. I wanted to assign my students a project that would ask them to use technology to show what they’ve learned and thought blogging might be an interesting strategy to try. Inspired by some of the blogs I had been reading at the time I decided to test the software first, relying on my experiences and insights into the sport of cycling as content.

Now it’s time to say goodbye.

At the time, I had no idea that Pavé would grow to what it is today. I remember the day when I first reached 100 hits, then 1,000, etc. Writing was fun then. I wrote whenever ideas came to me, relying mostly on the racing calendar to provide the content.

But somewhere along the way (perhaps inevitably) Pavé grew to be too much for me to handle by myself. And as the demand for content—and the lure of advertisers and perhaps even a little bit of income—became too much to ignore, I lost sight of what inspired me to start the blog in the first place: a passion for cycling and a desire to connect with like-minded souls.

Add to the fact that my life outside of Pavé has changed considerably since the site’s earliest days (things like weddings, homes, and family have a funny way of putting things in a new perspective) and it’s clear to me—and perhaps to you as well—that a change is in order.

So rather than just fade off into the sunset or become yet another site that makes people wonder whatever happened to? I’ve decided to wind things down here at Pavé.

What does the future hold? For me, some new opportunities have made this decision much easier to make. First of all, I’ve been offered an expanded role at Bicycling Magazine and Bicycling.com. It remains to be seen just what that new role will look like, but I’m excited for its evolution and development (if you’re reading this Peter and Bill, there’s no school in July). Jeremy and I have also been asked to join the team at Red Kite Prayer, an invitation that will give us both opportunities to continue generating the kind of content you’ve come to appreciate at Pavé, while exploring new areas and topics free of the burdens of managing the day-to-day operations of the site.

To my contributors: Julius, Jeff, Erik, Rich, Ciaran, Jered, Stefano, Balint, Luc, Valentin, John, and Peter. Your time, effort, and talents were indispensable to Pavé and are directly responsible for its growth and credibility. It was truly an honor to work with you all; I hope we’ll have an opportunity to work together again in the future.

Mattio and Jeremy: without you, this site would have died a slow death months ago. I’m not sure what I did to be so lucky to find such dedicated and talented individuals, but I will feel forever fortunate to have stumbled upon the two of you. Jeremy, you in particular deserve much of the credit for making Pavé what it is today.

Of course, my wife Jennie deserves a special mention for her love and support throughout the past few years. Pavé began during our engagement, and I think it’s safe to say she had no idea it would grow to be something that would require so much of my time and effort. Moving back Easter lunches in favor of Flemish live feeds is not something many wives can handle—mine took it in stride. Thank you, Jennie.

Last but not least, a final thank you goes out to all of you. Thanks for reading, commenting, and just generally being a friendly and supportive group of people. If you read the comment threads at various other sites, you’ll quickly see that you’re truly a class apart.

Yours in cycling,

Whit Yost

About Whit

My experiences might easily fit many cycling fans' definitions of “living the dream.” Since getting hooked on the sport watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship, I've raced as an amateur on Belgian cobbles, traveled Europe to help build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux. As a former assistant director sportif with Mercury-Viatel, I've also seen the less dreamy side of the sport – the side rife with broken contracts, infighting, and positive dope tests. These days, I live with my lovely wife in Pennsylvania and share my experiences and views on the sport at Bicycling Magazine, the Embrocation Cycling Journal, and at my own site, Pavé.

I'm extremely disappointed with the closure of such a great website – although as the saying goes – you should always quit while you're ahead. It's been a place I've come for the latest cycling info and insight for the last couple of years – something which was always present. Last season thoroughly enjoyed contributing and chatting to other folks on the Spring Classics live blogs, and I'll certainly be missing that when Paris-Roubaix pops up again this year!

It was certainly a difficult decision to come to, but one that is really for the best.

Jack, don't worry about the things you'll be missing. I have every intention of providing the same kinds of insights at my new homes. As for the Live Blogs, there's no reason why we can't find a place for those either–stay tuned!

Damn, this is definitely sad for me! Pave has been one of the great finds I've made in the last couple years, with something just a little bit different than the other top cycling blogs. A bit of a different flavor from RKP or Inner Ring, but just as delicious. I look forward to reading you elsewhere!

I'd like to chime in with my own thanks to many – Whit and Pave's numerous talented contributors, many of whom have become friends (albeit ones I see rarely). Pave has been a blast, a great source of inspiration, and it's been exciting to connect with so many thoughtful readers. Thanks for everything.

Whit,
I count myself as extremely lucky to be filed under "contributors" with Pave (though considering the amount of actual writing I did, it could perhaps be "'contributors'"). The day you asked me to come on board, it was the first thing I said when I got home from work and one of the things I was really looking forward to doing.
I'm sad to see Pave go, but I am equally happy to know you and Jeremy will be doing what you do best – writing. Don't forget that you also strung together a group of weirdos who became friends (though, as Mattio said, ones who do not cross paths that often).
Kudos and thanks!
Jeff

Sad to see the site go as I really enjoyed it, but very happy for you to try new things. Also glad you are still using your talents to help promote the cycling culture – such a fantastic thing to promote. See you out there soon.

Thanks to all who contributed – I'm hoping you can continue to also use your talent (there was LOTS of it!) in other places as well.

I remember the DM that day when it came On Twitter, I was truly gob smacked to be asked to contribute. In terms of articles I didn't do much, as my involvement coincided with an increased workload which has left less time to write. So, when I could I'd chip in on our Google chats to try to contribute what I could. Whit is being incredibly humble as he's driven (along with Jeremy & Mattio) the site. I can't help to wish ALL the best for their future CoLabs as there are some great voices on here, and I'm sure that many could be used to fine effect across some of the blogs we read today.

I'm looking forward to sharing a beer with Whit, and I thank you so much for all allowing me to be a small part of it all. See you in Flanders, I'll have a Duvel waiting.

Whit, three years is about 20 in blogging time. Glad to hear that Bicycling will benefit from your move. Keep in touch and I hope to see you at the tour of California. Best, Matt. P.S. Send any of your young guy road writers my way. Twisted Spoke is looking for contributors.

Thanks for everything you and the crew have produced over the years. Pavé was one of the sites we wanted to emulate when we started Cyclismas, and one whose mission was akin to our own. We're all grateful for your work and the wonderful content you produced. Best of luck with RKP and Bicycling; as Bill Strickland said, it's not an end, it's the beginning of a new chapter. Cheers!

It was an undivided pleasure to be able to contribute with one article to your site Whit. Much like yourself life changed quickly and time ran out on contributing any further pieces.

That you took the time to reach out to me, and untested, unpublished writing and cycling enthusiast says much about how you interact with people, and that also just so happened to come across in each and every post you published on the site.

Many, many thanks to you and the entire squad for keeping the ball rolling. The slow wind down will be a fitting way to end this three year project. Some say it`s better to burn out than fade away (thank you oh fictitious Kurgen), but I say boo-urns to that.

Best of luck in your expanded role with Bicycling and over on RKP – i`ve been an avid follower and poster on both sites, and will now gladly re-distrribute the love to RKP solely once you migrate over!

I think I'm experiencing a very similar situation to yourself and have come to a blog crossroad, with a choice to be made and maybe a new project being announced shortly. The future looks pretty exciting for us all.